Posted on: April 28, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Philadelphia-based, Hoots and Hellmouth, will be playing East Coast dates to kick off the new year in support of their self-titled debut album, which was released last year by MAD Dragon Records and distributed by Ryko Distribution (WEA).

Hoots & Hellmouth’s eponymous debut has been gaining praise from critics and fans alike as one of the “Best of 2007. Produced in collaboration with fellow Philadelphian Brian McTear (Apollo Sunshine, Matt Pond PA, She Haw) at his MinerStreet/CycleSound Studio, the album is powerfully evident that Hoots & Hellmouth has concocted a musical blend of roots/revival sensibility with a healthy dose of rock n’ roll energy that is all its own. “Hoots and Hellmouth exists because we wanted to come together and write songs that are alive. It’s about bleeding, sweating, crying, rejoicing… it’s raw soul,” Hoots says of the band’s music. Press response to the album has been excellent:

Philadelphia ‘s Sean Hoots and Andrew “Hellmouth” Gray play acoustic guitars, backed by a mandolinist and upright bassist, and favor country-rock harmonies and hippie romanticism in the mode of Crosby, Stills & Nash or the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The band’s debut album, “Hoots & Hellmouth,” is marked by rambunctious energy, a welcome sense of humor, a hint of old-time string bands and the potential to grow into something more original. Geoffrey Himes/Washington Post 11/30

Hoots & Hellmouth: Righteously ragged backporch jammers share a tart and tangy lineup with Frog Holler and Bitter Bitter Weeks. Jon Takiff/Philadelphia Daily News 11/9

The night began with the fervent roots pop of Hoots and Hellmouth. The quartet managed to make a righteous, old-timey racket with two acoustic guitars, mandolin, upright bass, and ragged harmonies. The Hoots’ blend of alt-country, rock, and gospel was amplified only by their own considerable joy and the physical way they threw themselves into singing. Sarah Rodman/Boston Globe 4/30/07

Listening to the Pennsylvania quartet feels like listening to old bluegrass tapes recorded at some back porch hoe-down during Prohibition. The band’s technique and song content is so distinctly true to their deep bluegrass/folk roots’ past, the generational gap seems to disappear. Matthew Godbey/Charleston Post 10/18

The “fuck-it-we’re-doing-this-thing-no-matter-what” attitude is what makes songs like “This Hand is a Mighty Hand” erupt in person. Hoots, Gray and Berliner growl and yell the lyrics, barely keeping control. They chug cold beer and their skin sweats. A Hoots & Hellmouth concert is a loud, obnoxious, sweaty, thrilling, revival of a show. It is a nightly barn raising, in fact, whether they’re playing in Memphis, Austin or Brooklyn. Paul Smalera/NY Press 7/18

Sean Hoots and Andrew “Hellmouth” Gray began collaborating in early 2005, after their respective rock bands, Pilot Round the Sun and Midiron Blast Shaft, called it quits. They put away their screeching half-stacks, unplugged and began creating a collection of distinctive original songs. Restless road warriors, Sean and Andrew booked a 10-day tour of the Southeast in the summer of ’05, bringing their friend and mandolinist Rob “the Good Doctor” Berliner along to round out the line-up. This tour helped crystallize the rootsy yet modern aesthetic that has become Hoots & Hellmouth’s trademark sound.

Subsequent travels have taken H&H to every top-shelf venue, dive bar, summer festival, chili cook-off, and basement floor this side of the Mississippi, sharing the stage with everyone from Moe. to Shooter Jennings They have toured with the likes of Will Hoge, Dr. Dog, Rocky Votolato, Langhorne Slim, and The Teeth, as well as playing folk festivals in Philadelphia and Ottawa. Whether it be at a large Canadian festival, or a backyard cookout in LouisvilleKentucky, one thing is for certain. Hoots & Hellmouth live show has all of the energy of an old revival that has to be experienced to be believed.

The upcoming stretch will take Hoots & Hellmouth to some familiar venues that have finally recovered from the last blast of sound and energy with some new friends. They will be sharing the stage with Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Will Hoge, Birdie Busch, and O Death as they make their way up and down the East Coast, culminating in their first appearance at the Langerado Music Festival in Florida on March 9th.

Hoots and Hellmouth Tour Dates:

5/1 – 8 x 10, Baltimore, MD

5/2 – Grand Opera House, Wilmington, DE

5/3 – DC9, Washington DC

5/7 – Larsen Student Union, Grantham, PA

5/8 – Gravity Lounge, Charlottesville, VA

5/9 – Town Point Park, Norfolk, CA

5/10 – The Soapbox, Wilmington, NC

5/12 – the Windjammer, Isle of Palms, SC

5/14 – Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville, FL

5/15 – Alligator Alley, Oakland, FL

5/16 – The Backbooth, Orlando FL

5/17 – Tampa Cuban Club, Tampa, FL

5/20 – The Melting Point, Athens, GA

5/21 – Vinyl, Atlanta, GA

5/22 – Downtown Alive, Greenville, SC

5/23 – The Evening Muse, Charlotte, NC

5/25 – The Purple Fiddle, Thomas WV

5/28 – Grey Eagle Music Hall, Asheville, NC

5/30 – The Camel, Richmond, VA

6/3/ – Beachland Tavern, Cleveland, OH

6/5 – Rathskeller, Indianapolis, IN

6/8 – Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival, Lawrence, KS

6/9 – The Bottleneck, Lawrence, KS

6/12 – Mick’s Music Bar, Omaha, NE

6/14 – Metro Jam at Washington Park, Manitowoc, WI

7/19 – Festival Field behind Gild Hall, Arden, DE

8/2 – Blue Skies Music Festival, Clarendon, ON, Canada

8/16 – Canaan Valley Resort & Conference Center, Thomas WV

http://www.hootsandhellmouth.com

http://www.maddragonrecords.com

For more information on Hoots and Hellmouth, please contact Howlin’ Wuelf Media, Howard Wuelfing, 215-428-9119 or [email protected]

About DrexelUniversity’s The Music Industry Program and MAD Dragon Records

Housed in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, the Music Industry Program introduces students to the business and technology sides of the industry through a hands-on, entrepreneurial approach. Students enrolled in the Music Industry bachelor’s degreeprogramwill complete part of their course requirements by managing all aspects of the program’s record label, MAD Dragon, including production, recording, marketing, copyrights, contracts and distribution. Previous MAD Dragon releases include Dreams Don’t Count by critically acclaimed songwriter Jules Shear, the gospel infused roots rock of Hoots & Hellmouth (S/T), Matt Duke’s literate and dynamic debut Winter Child, rockin’ singer-songwriter Andrew Lipke’s The Way Home, the annual Unleashed compilation series (Unleashed 1, 2 and 3) and XYX. MAD Dragon recently released former Capitol Record recording artist The Redwalls’ eponymous CD, The Redwalls (S/T), on October 23, 2007. In 2005, MAD Dragon Records became the nation’s first student-run record label to secure a national distribution deal with Ryko Distribution, a major player in the music and video business. For more information on the new release and MAD Dragon Records, visit www.maddragonrecords.com .

About the AntoinetteWestphalCollege at DrexelUniversity

The College offers twelve undergraduate and five graduate programs in media, design and the performing arts. Programs are taught in small studio settings, featuring hands-on learning and a faculty of industry practitioners who emphasize the use of the latest technologies. The AntoinetteWestphalCollege is home to the Rudman Institute for Entertainment Industry Studies. Drexel is the premier co-op school in the country and is a top-ranked national research university. Allen Sabinson is the Dean of the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design.

Leave a Comment